From the heart: Tech student-athletes log nearly 3,000 hours in community
Plenty of community service projects also planned in
2013
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- In addition to their successes on the playing
fields and in the classrooms, Tennessee Tech student-athletes put
forth an extraordinary effort in service to the people of
Cookeville and the surrounding area during 2012.
Tech’s student-athletes logged nearly 3,000 hours at community events last year, ranging from the department’s flagship events such as Fall Fun Fest and the Cookeville Christmas Parade to service on an individual basis at local schools, on campus and around town. Department-wide service events where most teams took part included Fall Fun Fest, in which TTU has a booth and student-athletes interact with the children who participate in Stations of Imagination, Cooking on the Square, the Cookeville Christmas Parade and the Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser.
Each squad also participated in an Ohio Valley Conference
sanctioned project called Hoops for Heroes in which athletes raised
money to send local veterans and their families on an all-expenses
paid weekend at the OVC Basketball Tournament in Nashville.
"We are all extremely proud of the extra work that our
student-athletes and coaches put in, year-after-year, to
participate in community services projects and events," said TTU
Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. "These are events that the kids
really enjoy getting involved with. They not only represent the
University and Athletics in a positive manner, but they also
represent themselves as first-class young women and men.
"Some of our student-athletes wind up developing a strong interest
in some of these projects, and find themselves getting involved
beyond their time with their teammates," Wilson said. "That is
truly gratifying, both to our staff and to the
student-athletes."
Other examples of team-specific service included serving as mentors at local schools, helping with Upward Basketball at local churches, assisting students on Great Move-In Day, volunteering at Mustard Seed Ranch (a home for children who have been neglected, abused or orphaned), working at YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, reading to children and aiding teachers at local schools, helping set up and running in Race for the Park 5K to benefit Dogwood Park, assisting with Bark in the Park, participating in Operation Christmas Child, and promoting breast cancer awareness by hosting pink-themed matches or games.
“The amount of volunteer hours these athletes put in last
year is amazing,” said Michelle Huddleston, TTU Service
Coordinator who has overseen athletes serving on several projects.
“In my experience with the athletes, they are very eager to
help and many have become very fond of service. When given a
required amount of hours, there have been many athletes who put
extra hours in, just for fun and to help. It seems to give them a
sense of leadership, ownership and accomplishment, showing genuine
pride in what they are doing to serve.”
For information in bringing student-athletes to a community
service inititiative, please call (931) 372-3940.
Here's a listing of events by sport, and the number of student-athletes who participated in each:
| Baseball |
|||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
30 | ||||
| Reading at Sycamore Elementary | 30 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 3 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 30 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 30 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 10 | ||||
| Recycling | 30 | ||||
| Men's Basketball | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
18 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 15 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 5 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 3 | ||||
| Run for Fun at Roberts Elementary | 4 | ||||
| Reading at Parkview and Capshaw Elementaries | 12 | ||||
| Great Move In Day | 15 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Car Wash | 1 | ||||
| Women's Basketball | |||||
| Great Move in Day | 2 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Cookeville Caravan | 15 | ||||
| Fall Fun Fest | 15 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 5 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Women's Build | 15 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 15 | ||||
| Adopt a Family Christmas Party | 15 | ||||
| Assisted at Avery Trace | 15 | ||||
| YMCA Healthy Kids Day | 15 | ||||
| Capshaw Family Fun Night | 5 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | |||||
| Habitat for Humanity Car Wash | 5 | ||||
| Men's Cross Country | |||||
| Fall Fun Fest | 15 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 15 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 5 | ||||
| Senior Olympics | 8 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 7 | ||||
| Cookeville Jaycees Road Race | 7 | ||||
| Women's Cross Country | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
10 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 10 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | |||||
| Senior Olympics | 12 | ||||
| Football | |||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 4 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 100 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 1 | ||||
| WCTE | 50 | ||||
| Cookeville First Methodist Church | 50 | ||||
| Mentoring at Home | 10 | ||||
| Great Move In Day | 30 | ||||
| Men's Golf | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
7 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 4 | ||||
| Women's Golf | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
7 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 2 | ||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 3 | ||||
| Cooking on the
Square |
2 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Car Wash | 2 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 2 | ||||
| Soccer | |||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 25 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 2 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 25 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 5 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 12 | ||||
| Read at Parkview | 25 | ||||
| YMCA Clinic | 24 | ||||
| Capshaw Family Fitness Night | 5 | ||||
| Komen Golf Tournament | 3 | ||||
| Prescott Elementary Luau | 10 | ||||
| Softball | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
|||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 22 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 5 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 4 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 10 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 5 | ||||
| Bark in the Park | 22 | ||||
| Operation Christmas Child | 22 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Women Build | 22 | ||||
| Great Move In Day | |||||
| Men's Tennis | |||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 10 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 1 | ||||
| Sport of Champions at Sycamore Elementary | 2 | ||||
| Indoor Track | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
10 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 5 | ||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 10 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 27 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Car Wash | 5 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 7 | ||||
| Cookeville Jaycees Road Race | 7 | ||||
| Outdoor Track | |||||
| Fall Fun
Fest |
10 | ||||
| Howard Griffin Fundraiser | 5 | ||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 5 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | |||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 7 | ||||
| Cookeville Jaycees Road Race | 7 | ||||
| Volleyball | |||||
| Hoops for Heroes Fundraiser | 13 | ||||
| St. Jude Phone a Thon | 4 | ||||
| Shoe Box Project | 13 | ||||
| Cookeville Christmas Parade | 13 | ||||
| Dig Pink Match | 13 | ||||
| Golden Eagle Scramble Fundraiser | 3 | ||||
| Great Move In Day | 13 | ||||
| Habitat for Humanity Car Wash | 13 | ||||
